Stan Resnicoff's Blog
March 24, 2013
Kirkus Review
Recently Kirkus Reviews said some very nice things about my book SLEETMUTE, but they also said some other things that I had to think about.
In this world of digital eBooks and 'print-on-demand'publishing it's pretty easy for me to almost instantly amend my book and so, now SLEETMUTE ends like this...
POSTSCRIPT
Recently Kirkus Reviews reviewed ‘Sleetmute’. They were very complimentary. They said it was “incredibly entertaining” and also said “Resnicoff’s encounters fascinate not only because they introduce readers to a world few have ever seen, but also because he’s a gifted storyteller. He channels his 24-year-old self’s confusion and naïveté in a way that is by turns hilarious, endearing and often quite moving.” Very nice.
But they also thought it fell short in three ways. First they said that I didn’t say enough about what was going on in my life before Sleetmute, so I’ve added a brief introduction. I think they were right. I think it helps. Secondly, they said that it felt more like a collection of anecdotes rather than a full memoir. OK, but it was a collection of anecdotes. The truth is that the full story of my year was in those hours and days between the anecdotes. The quiet times of tea with someone. The waiting for the mail to be distributed and the laughter over something I can’t recall now. I couldn’t put that into words then. I still can’t now
Finally they said that I didn’t say enough about how my year affected me. I’ve thought a lot about it. There’s no doubt that the people of Sleetmute did more for me than I possibly could have done for them. They helped me survive. Hey, if you ever need to know how to trap beaver, I’m your man. They gave me their friendship. And they also gave me a quiet confidence that I could endure anything. Priceless.
So I’ll close with this little story. In the early 1980s I got a great job working for Mattel Toys designing educational games for computers. It was in California, near the beach, and I enjoyed what I was doing immensely. But no matter how great a job is, the best part is that two week vacation you get, and when mine came I loaded my dog and my camping gear up and headed north to Yosemite. I found a place in the woods, outside the park, far from the organized campsites with their electrical hookups and all that stuff. This site just had a place for a fire and nothing else. I was alone. I was tired after my drive. I threw up my tent, built a little fire, found a perfect “Y” shaped dead branch to use to prop up my coffee pot, threw some grounds in the water and laid back on my bedroll to get some rest.
At dusk approached I saw a rather big guy walking out of the woods towards me. I later found out that he was a full-blooded Apache. He stood in front of my little campsite and said two words. “Nice fire”.
In this world of digital eBooks and 'print-on-demand'publishing it's pretty easy for me to almost instantly amend my book and so, now SLEETMUTE ends like this...
POSTSCRIPT
Recently Kirkus Reviews reviewed ‘Sleetmute’. They were very complimentary. They said it was “incredibly entertaining” and also said “Resnicoff’s encounters fascinate not only because they introduce readers to a world few have ever seen, but also because he’s a gifted storyteller. He channels his 24-year-old self’s confusion and naïveté in a way that is by turns hilarious, endearing and often quite moving.” Very nice.
But they also thought it fell short in three ways. First they said that I didn’t say enough about what was going on in my life before Sleetmute, so I’ve added a brief introduction. I think they were right. I think it helps. Secondly, they said that it felt more like a collection of anecdotes rather than a full memoir. OK, but it was a collection of anecdotes. The truth is that the full story of my year was in those hours and days between the anecdotes. The quiet times of tea with someone. The waiting for the mail to be distributed and the laughter over something I can’t recall now. I couldn’t put that into words then. I still can’t now
Finally they said that I didn’t say enough about how my year affected me. I’ve thought a lot about it. There’s no doubt that the people of Sleetmute did more for me than I possibly could have done for them. They helped me survive. Hey, if you ever need to know how to trap beaver, I’m your man. They gave me their friendship. And they also gave me a quiet confidence that I could endure anything. Priceless.
So I’ll close with this little story. In the early 1980s I got a great job working for Mattel Toys designing educational games for computers. It was in California, near the beach, and I enjoyed what I was doing immensely. But no matter how great a job is, the best part is that two week vacation you get, and when mine came I loaded my dog and my camping gear up and headed north to Yosemite. I found a place in the woods, outside the park, far from the organized campsites with their electrical hookups and all that stuff. This site just had a place for a fire and nothing else. I was alone. I was tired after my drive. I threw up my tent, built a little fire, found a perfect “Y” shaped dead branch to use to prop up my coffee pot, threw some grounds in the water and laid back on my bedroll to get some rest.
At dusk approached I saw a rather big guy walking out of the woods towards me. I later found out that he was a full-blooded Apache. He stood in front of my little campsite and said two words. “Nice fire”.
March 9, 2013
Contact with Sleetmute
One of the nicest surprises from writing my book is that the current villagers in Sleetmute have discovered it.
COMMENT: Hello Stan, I have lived here in Sleetmute, AK all my life and I think that your book is just the greatest. I was wondering if you have any more pictures of Sleetmute or the people here from back then. I have noticed that you have a picture of my father\'s grandmother (Gramma Charlie)! I would like to see more if you would like to share them. It\'s so nice to see Sleetmute back then...it looks so different now compared to a while ago. I\'m still living here, I work at the Post Office as the Postmaster here and I have bought your book and I\'m planning on sharing them with my children and the pictures also. I would appreciate it if you would share more of your photos if you have the chance too. Thanks for your time and have some happy holidays to come!
Grandma Charlie
COMMENT: Stan, I just wanted to let you know the folks of Sleetmute have just discovered your book and are getting the biggest kick out of it. Many of the folks you right about are gone now, but their kids and grandkids are still there and enjoying your story. Thanks for the laughs & memories.
Sleetmute is sure a lot less 'remote' now, with the internet and satellite dishes, than it was when I was there in 1968.......
COMMENT: Hello Stan, I have lived here in Sleetmute, AK all my life and I think that your book is just the greatest. I was wondering if you have any more pictures of Sleetmute or the people here from back then. I have noticed that you have a picture of my father\'s grandmother (Gramma Charlie)! I would like to see more if you would like to share them. It\'s so nice to see Sleetmute back then...it looks so different now compared to a while ago. I\'m still living here, I work at the Post Office as the Postmaster here and I have bought your book and I\'m planning on sharing them with my children and the pictures also. I would appreciate it if you would share more of your photos if you have the chance too. Thanks for your time and have some happy holidays to come!
Grandma Charlie
COMMENT: Stan, I just wanted to let you know the folks of Sleetmute have just discovered your book and are getting the biggest kick out of it. Many of the folks you right about are gone now, but their kids and grandkids are still there and enjoying your story. Thanks for the laughs & memories.
Sleetmute is sure a lot less 'remote' now, with the internet and satellite dishes, than it was when I was there in 1968.......
